How to Make a Healthy Smoothie
Updated: Mar 26, 2021
Smoothies are a perfect way to feed your body with a full supply of required daily nutrients by combining ingredients that aren't normally served together as a meal. Think about it. When was the last time you ate a banana and spinach together?
Smoothies allow you to create new flavors by mixing ingredients together that no other meal provides. And if you select the right ingredients, smoothies can be a healthier and more delicious alternative to your normal meal selection.
Healthy smoothies have been a regular meal in my weekly diet for years. They are one of my top breakfast choices (learn more about breakfast ideas in my blog Add Fuel to Your Day with BREAKFAST. I have found there are 5 essential ingredients that make a healthy smoothie.
1. Fruit: It is the base of any smoothie and adds sweetness, fiber, and healthy sugar to boost your energy.
2. Base: 0% fat greek yogurt provides a creamy consistency to the smoothie and helps you meet your daily protein intake.
3. Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are known as SUPERFOODS. The benefits of eating leafy greens are too numerous to list in this post. Leafy greens taste bitter, but when blended into a smoothie, the bitter flavor is overmatched by the sweetness of fruit, therefore giving you the health benefits but not sacrificing flavor.
4. Liquid: Smoothies need liquid to blend the ingredients and enable you to drink the smoothie. Milk, juice, and water are all great choices. For healthy options, choose low-fat milk and low-sugar, 100% fruit or vegetable juices.
5. Protein: Protein not only helps sustain and build muscle, but it also helps fill the void of feeling hungry. Protein powder is the easy way to add protein to any smoothie. Nut butters, sliced nuts (think almonds, flax seeds, and chia seeds) and oats are natural choices that also add texture to the smoothie.
Making, and drinking, smoothies can be fun because there are endless amounts of choices to mix and match ingredients. Save time in the preparation phase by filling a large blender and saving some of your smoothie in the fridge for another day.
Have a great smoothie recipe? Please feel free to share your favorite smoothie recipe in the comment section below.
I like to have a smoothie after I workout, which is normally in the mornings. I have found this smoothie to have some of the best flavor, and packed with a full load of nutrients to keep me full of energy until lunch. I call it Sweet Green.
Sweet Green Smoothie Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 handful of baby carrots
- 1 handful of spinach
- 12 oz of 0% fat greek yogurt
- 2 bananas
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 cup of 1% milk
- 50 g of protein powder
If the smoothie is too thin, add some ice. If it's too thick, add some water. Makes about 32 oz., so pour half for yourself now and the rest in a sealed container and store in the fridge for tomorrow.
Nutritional Information (per 16 oz.)
650 calories, 30 g fat, 6 g sat. fat, 40 g sugar, 80 g carbs, 14 g fiber, 40 g protein
